Mind Flip
by lalez
Summary: A new day, another trip through the stargate. It's just a normal day for the teams in Atlantis. Even if nothing goes as expected ...
1. First Contact

_With a bit of a mind flip_ _  
_ _You're into the time slip._ _  
_ _And nothing can ever be the same._

 _Time Warp - Rocky Horror Picture Show_

"This was different!" John Sheppard states after what he would classify as his worst gate ride ever. His head was spinning, and he felt sick. After a couple of seconds regaining his sense and control of his stomach he turned to his resident know-it-all.

"What was that?" Ronan also voiced his concern.

Rodney was already furiously typing away on his tablet and prying open the DHD on their arrival planet. "If I had an answer, I would tell you. So now shush and let me work!" the physicist spat out.

As if on cue the Stargate starts to activate and 3 pairs of eyes turn to Rodney "That's not my doing! We should…" "Hide!" Ronon finishes his sentence for him. All of them scramble to grab all the gear and hide behind a couple of huge stone blocks.

They are all huddled together, and their eyes are fixated on the now glowing eye of the gate.

"Is that a …" Rodney starts confused and Teyla completes the thought for him "MALP? Why would Atlantis send a MALP after us?"

John takes the initiative and walks up to the robotic device to communicate through the com array there, since it seems their radios don't work.

The first thing he notices is that the video feed doesn't seem to work either.

"Atlantis? This is Sheppard. Come in!"

"Colonel, please dial Atlantis as soon as possible and come to the city." A voice none of them recognizes relays a message, _an order_. They all share confused glances and before anyone can ask anything the gate shuts down.

"Great! Which experiment did you forget to shut down at home, Rodney?" John glares at the scientist but starts dialing anyway. "Someone better has an explanation for me when we get home." the air force officer mumbles and sends his IDC. His anxiety over the strange voice from before gets calmed a little when he hears Chucks familiar "Iris is clear!" through his _earpiece._

As soon as they have arrived in the gate room Ronon takes up a defensive stance, Rodney's mouth opens and closes like a fish, Teyla just looks confused and John is rather angry. Nothing looks as they remember. This is most certainly not their Atlantis. _But how did they manage to copy Chucks voice and the IDC?!_

They are greeted by a young officer, a lieutenant according to his uniform.

"The general wanted to greet you himself, but his wife was against it. I am bringing you to a briefing room where _someone_ will explain all of this. But first I will need all your tablets, even your emergency tablet Dr. McKay."

The team knows now that _something_ went horribly wrong with this trip through the gate and that somehow the people here knew about it. And a lot about them.

They follow the young man anyway, carefully taking in the way and John just hopes that Rodney has still some backup tablet to figure out what the heck is going on.

They end up in a conference room in an out of the way part. One they usually use for movie nights but here it seems it is really used as a meeting room.

The lieutenant excuses himself after also taking their earpieces and tells them to wait.

As soon as the doors have closed John and Ronon try reopening them, but it doesn't work. "Rodney, open the doors!" John demands and sure enough the sneaky scientist pulls out a tiny version of his tablet, he had in his vest pocket. _Instead of the standard C4 brick!_

"It looks like they disabled the door controls for this room. They can only be opened from the outside!" McKay offers after a little while and what sounded like a handful of unsuccessful tries.

Teyla seems not too worried. She sits down and silently observes the guys trying to get the doors to cooperate.

"I'd propose you take a break and eat something!" she says and grabs a bottle of water and a sandwich from the table in the corner. "I believe they will explain soon. Just as the young man told us." Her intermission does not completely work. Ronon and John still look like caged tigers but at least Rodney takes a seat and starts unwrapping a sandwich.

A little while later the doors actually open and in walks the lieutenant from before. "Let me guess, you drew the short straw?" John starts, trying to get some tension out of the situation. The young man in front of them doesn't seem to be too happy at having to be here again.

"Something like that, sir. But I actually have good news: we can send you back to where you belong in about 10 minutes. So, if you could please follow me." He leaves and occasionally checks if the group is following him.

They arrive in the _empty_ gate room, just when the dialing sequence starts. Rodney notices the address being dialed as the one they just came from. "We are going back to where you picked us up?" "Yes, and unfortunately it will be the same bumpy ride as before I am afraid."

The thought alone lets the quartets stomachs roll. "If it has to be…" Teyla starts. "And also thank you for your hospitality, even if we couldn't learn anything about you."

"As it should be." The lieutenant gives back and glances at his watch. He visibly counts the seconds, then looks up at them and says: "You have to leave now!"

John looks at the young man one more time and nods his thanks, when something, _someone_ in the command office catches his eye. He blinks to get a better look, but the figure has disappeared.

They step through the gate and yes, the ride is as bad as the first one was.

After a couple of minutes to get their bearings again, the team decides to dial Atlantis and scrub the original mission.

In the debrief Carter was most interested in their interactions with the "alternate" Atlantis and if they learned anything. What seemed to worry her the most had been, that they had sent an IDC and heard Chucks voice over the earpieces, which hadn't worked other wise.

"Did you notice anything that could tell us if this was the replicators or any other form of mind trick?" she asks them all. She fixes all of them shortly with a look but doesn't press them. John decides to speak up: "I don't know what I saw, but I could've sworn I saw myself, older and in uniform with stars on my shoulders."

* * *

 **This short little thing popped in my head after I read Joe's announcement that he is going to be a 4star on SEALS. I hope you enjoyed.**

 **Happy holidays.**

 **Oh and yes, Teyla noticed something in this other Atlantis and the Lieutenant has a name in my mind, but I might just leave it like this. What do you think?**


	2. Indications

**Hey guys, yes I am hiding from my family and proofing this chapter on NYE. Thanks so much for the reviews and the guessing.  
Guest64: See there is more (and there will be a lot more loose ends but I hope also some answers).  
Sheppardlover928: Bad Atlantis would also be a good way to go, but yeah that was not on the agenda when I started planning this universe.  
If you log in or create an account I can answer you directly and this thing here gets shorter :) Oh and just and FYI this is on the season 4 timeline and I try to stay in canon as much as possible.**

* * *

 _I got some strange information_ _  
_ _I keep it to myself_ _  
_ _I got a bad reputation_ _  
_ _I can't think of nothin' else_ _  
_ _There must be about a million_ _  
_ _Single ways to go down_

 _Time Bomb Town – Lindsey Buckingham_

The next couple of days Team Sheppard just stays in the city and Sam Carter contemplates to block the address to the planet they recently returned from. Sam knows that Rodney has retreated to his lab, Ronon is training the marines, John is in his office doing _paperwork_ and Teyla is teaching meditation techniques to every expedition member possible. She had done some research herself, especially after Sheppard mentioned he might have seen himself with stars on his uniform, but she couldn't find any evidence of a solar flare on the projected path of the wormhole.

 _Maybe I should get Rodney to double check?_

With that last thought she gets up and makes her way to the labs. She finds McKay hunched over papers, books and a data pad, which is connected to a couple of hard drives. Either he hasn't heard her enter or is ignoring her in hopes of her disappearing again. To prevent the latter from going on for much longer and if it is the former make herself know she clears her throat. A low growl comes from her longtime colleague and sometimes nemesis, but he looks at her anyway.  
"What do you want Sam? I am busy!" The last part is accentuated by a hand wave over all the assorted pieces on his workstation.  
"I can see that, but I wanted to discuss your last mission one more time and possibly block the gate address."

That got his attention really fast and a vigorous head shake. "No, no, no. We cannot block that address now. I have run every test possible on the gate and I can almost certainly rule out a gate malfunction. The sensors didn't pick up any explosions or solar flares in the vicinity of the wormholes path either, but somehow, we ended up in the future. I am sure of it, well 98% at least!"

The last comma she could hear. All the other notations she had to make in her mind since Rodney hadn't even taken a breath. Sam was sure she just heard him say future. But that was impossible right?

"Come on Rodney. If there was no solar flare, how in the world would you have landed in the future. That makes no sense at all!" Sam goads him into explaining himself.  
"I thought so too, but from what I could decipher of the ancient gibberish in the database and the data I could already decompress on this thing…"  
"Don't tell me you connected a piece of tech full of unknown data to our network?!" Sam interrupts his still confusing _explanation._  
"I am not stupid! This is air gaped and the hard drives are too!"

Sam lets out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding in. "OK, that's good, but I still can't follow your reasoning for the future thing!"  
"Like I said I am 98% sure my theory is correct but without another trip to MX7-77P I cannot be 100% sure."

He pulls her around the station and points her to the monitor in the desk. "See this gibberish here means, according to Jackson and his language squad: A cycle intersects every 26 years. And on top, this mini pad here shows a date 26 years in the future!"

Rodney crosses his arms and looks almost smug. Sam is still not convinced.  
"Oh, come on. It could be a system error because of the data overload of your pad. And all of this does not convince me not to block the gate address. It is dangerous. If you really want to go back there again you need to come up with a plan and a lot more information. And you should get John on board. Maybe then I can reconsider." Sam can see Rodney wants to protest but she stops him. "Think about it and come to me when you have a plan." After that she returns to her office and ponders the implications of Rodney's theory.

A couple of days later Sam hasn't heard so much as a peep about time travel and MX7-77P. _Maybe Rodney is still figuring out a way to convince me? His pad must've downloaded a huge amount of compressed data._

She looks out her office window, dubbed the "glass cube" and sees Team Sheppard geared up and ready for the yearly trip to what they like to call the "kids planet", M7G-677. Something is not quite right with the picture in front of her, but she can't put her finger on it. _Maybe it is just that Teyla isn't with them and they are taking Lorne's team too?_

She gives Chuck the sign to dial the gate when she steps up to the railing. She gives the teams a quick salute and watches them walk through the gate.

After the iris has closed again, she informs Chuck that she will be in the labs and on coms if there is anything unscheduled happening.

 _Might as well take the quiet time and look over Rodney's research._

But before she reaches the research level Sam runs into Teyla and the two of them sit down for a cup of tea on one of the many balconies.

"How are you feeling?" Sam asks while blowing her tea to cool it down. She looks at Teyla and musters the athosian woman carefully. Teyla gives her a serene smile.  
"I feel very well rested. Thank you for asking."  
"Can I ask about that last mission? The one with the other Atlantis? What do you think happened?" Sam decides to just jump right in.  
"I believe Rodney might be right in his assumption that we visited the future."  
"Why do you say that? Did you see or notice something there?" Sam prods once again.

She notices that Teyla takes her time before answering and that she also lowers her hand to rub small circles on her belly.  
"Yes, indeed I noticed something. I believe this child I am carrying will be a boy named Torren J. Emmagan and also, if no one else wrote it in their reports, the Lieutenant that spoke to us was named M. Lorne."  
Sam couldn't hide her surprise. But one detail was weird anyway:  
"You know your sons first name but not the Lieutenants?"  
"I just saw T.J. but my father's name was Torren, so this is a given." Sam smiles at Teyla and congratulates her on having a son.  
 _I guess there is no denying it. They might really have traveled to the future._

After the tea Sam finally makes her way to Rodney's workstation and gets to reading and _proofing_ Rodneys theory.


	3. Team Building

**Thank you so much for the encouragement and the reviews. And yes, sheppardlover928 they will meet again. If I am not mistaken probably in chapter 6 or 7, but right now Rodney is being a little bit difficult and wants to stay with his research.**

 **Sorry that this chapter is pretty much an exposition dump, but it is necessary to understand the story. Hope you can enjoy it anyway.**

* * *

 _Seasons come, and seasons go_ _  
_ _Here I wait for something to be_ _  
_ _Try to get as much as I can see_ _  
_ _Hungry for life_ _  
_ _But have you seen the sands of time_ _  
_ _Every day is a moment in past_ _  
_ _Every heartbeat a step to my last_

 _Sands of Time – Edguy_

He is sure of it. This assignment is a punishment. His uncle Cameron had to boot him out of the mountain after that one mission went to hell. Lieutenant Markus Lorne looks around the cave he is currently living in with his team. They are stuck on this boring back water planet with nothing on it but an ancient structure which his team is currently supposed to be exploring. He took it upon himself to secure their hideout, but he hadn't thought this one through. Apparently, the lack of company gave his idle thoughts room.

 _Too much room_.

It's moments like this he feels like the whole joining the Air Force thing had been a mistake. But maybe it only was that he wanted to be a pilot and the air force had sent him to Cheyenne Mountain instead. To say he wasn't exactly enthusiastic would put it mildly. He had looked into all possibilities, but they hadn't given him any chance. Told him he should be proud. And yes, he was proud to serve there, now. Top Secret assignment, the highest security clearance possible and the discovery that his godfather was to be his CO made the whole experience a lot more enjoyable.

But never mind he got himself and his teammates into a whole lot of trouble of world. Usually they came back with barely a scratch but this one… it had been bad. He still has no idea how he had ended up in the SGC infirmary. The first thing he remembers after waking up is being fussed over by his godmother. That had been a shock to say the least. Nearly three years at Cheyenne Mountain and he never knew that his aunt Carolyn is the head of medicine on base.

He feels himself getting angrier at that memory.

The day of his release from the infirmary he received his orders to go to Pegasus. Another galaxy! He had no idea what to tell his mom. So, he only told her he was assigned to be out of country for a while. She probably figured he had to be in Siberia or something since he was working out of Schriever, per his official cover. She had barely reacted.

But had nearly taken his head of when he told her he had applied to and gotten into the academy. What had she imagined what he would do for school? Become a lawyer? Not likely, what with growing up in Colorado Springs, having an air force Colonel/General as a godfather, not to mention some of her friends Daniel, Sam, Jack, Vala and well Teal'c, who got introduced to him as Murray all were or at least worked for the Air force.

He is still very deep in his pity party when he hears his team _running_ back to the cave. He holds back the foliage so the three of them can file in. His trusty marine sergeant Tom Meyers, who actually already served with him at the SGC, the german army lieutenant Carl Donner and well their team geek Dr. Meredith 'Mer' McKay. The constant thorn in his side.  
They all are out of breath.

"What the hell happened out there?" he asks looking from one to the other.

"The gate activated, so we packed up and ran back here!" Donner offers still out of breath.

"Did you see who came through?" he tries to find out what they have seen.

"No, we didn't exactly have time for that. You idiot!" yeah, so physical activities are really not good for Mer's mood.

"Thank you for the input doctor, but seriously we need to know who or what is out there. We were supposed to be here alone for three months. Under strict orders not to dial back before the set time if there was no life or death threat."

"Maybe it is a problem in Atlantis and they are looking for us?" Donner tries, already sounding a lot better now.

"They would've radioed instead of coming through." Mer stops that idea directly.

After a moment of contemplation Markus takes the initiative: "I'll go out there and try to find out what is going on. Keep alert. I'll radio back if there is a problem."

He makes his way through the underbrush in the direction of the gate figuring he can pick up the trail of whoever came through from there. When he arrives at the edge of the forest, he can see the gate and also two men standing guard.

 _They look like Atlantis personnel._

He is just about to get up and make himself known when he sees one of them trigger their earpiece. He expects to hear something but gets only static. When he changes the channel it still stays static.

 _This is weird._

He turns around and makes his way back to the cave as quietly as he can. About half way back he hears voices and freezes.

"McKay, move it along. Yes, the station had been activated so someone was here just a little while ago. The colonel decided we have to leave."

"But we can wait for them. Meet them. If they are actual ancient, maybe we can learn something from them!"

"Remember the last time? That wasn't so successful, and we were booted out of the city."

Markus observes a military officer dragging a man after him. The man looks like a younger version of Mer's dad and the officer he can't place but something about him seems familiar. "Major! Shut up and let me walk at my own speed. We are not in any immediate danger so there is absolutely no need to run!"

 _Oh god, if that is Mer's dad - but a lot younger..._ He stops his train of thought and it gets replaced by a gut feeling and an urge to hurt someone.  
 _They sent us to the past for our team building. When we get back home, I am going to kill someone!_

With one last look at the arguing twosome Markus finally turns around to meet back up with his teammates. _They will never believe what's going on here!_

* * *

 **I feel the need to tell you: Markus wanted this complicated family story. I couldn't stop him from telling his tale.**


	4. Best Laid Plans

**And now let's see what John and company are up to. I will be switching the "narrator" every chapter so you can get an all around look. Feel free to ask im there is anything unclear. And now please enjoy.**

* * *

 _I don't know what I've been told_ _  
_ _I will sell my soul to rock and roll_ _  
_ _I don't know where to go_ _  
_ _I have lost control_

 _Time Travel – Never Shout Never_

It was his own fault for thinking this was going to be a normal, easy mission.  
"Should've known McKay would pull something like this!" John mumbles while searching the ancient structure and surrounding area with Ronon.

The day had started completely normal but as soon as they had arrived at M7G-677 and the kids had looked surprised he knew something was going wrong.  
"You should stop cursing if you want to find anyone!" Ronon startled him by appearing at his side.  
"I don't think there is still someone here. We would've found some evidence by now." John gives his answer and leans against the next tree. "Why couldn't he just present his "evidence" to Carter and we could've all decided if we wanted to go back here."  
He knows he sounds like a child, but this is just rubbing him the wrong way. He had pushed his boundaries, even with Sam but not like this.  
"Let's head back to the gate and hope to hell, we are in the right Atlantis in the end!" John marches back and after a couple hundred meters he notices that Ronon has disappeared into the underbrush.  
He triggers his com "Ronon, buddy where are you off to?"  
"Found some tracks. Looks like three people running." John gives it a short thought and then calls Ronon off his search. "Leave it be for now and meet me at the gate."

He arrives at the gate after Ronon. "Buddy? Find a short cut?"  
"No, I am just faster than you are!" John rolls his eyes but is back to serious in a second.

"Tell me you brought a life signs detector!" he glares at his usually useful scientist. He can surmise the answer from the guilty look immediately. "Ok, that's it. We are going back home. And you can explain Sam your crazy theory and plan one more time!"

Immediately after they are back in the city John gives Carter a rundown of what McKay pulled out there and now two hours later, they are all sitting in the conference room waiting for the self-proclaimed genius to finally show up with his presentation.

John is about to get up and drag the _idiot_ to the meeting when Rodney finally arrives. He sees Sam raise an eyebrow, but Rodney completely ignores her and just continues setting up his material. "McKay what is all that?" he hears his boss ask. "My presentation!" comes the helpful reply.

 _Where is a lemon when you need one?_

They spend three hours in that dreaded room, but Rodney seems to have it figured out. At least partly. He must have been studying the ancient database from back to back because he had answers to all of their questions. In the end he even managed to convince Sam, that the structure on the planet has all the answers as to how this _time travel_ thing really works. Of all the crazy stories he had heard about since starting his job in Atlantis, that was the craziest and now even Carter had no idea and relied on Rodney to find out.

"Ok, you can go back there. For safety reasons this time again with a detour." Sam finally concedes and leaves him and his team to plan the next trip. When he looks up he realizes he is sitting alone at the table. Rodney must have left immediately after Sam to do what ever he deems necessary to acquire _his_ equipment. Ronon probably is in the gym _training_ the marines and Lorne is probably doing everything to run this city. John sighs.

 _There is no turning back now._

He starts planning the mission and from experience he puts them down for at least two weeks. He has to admit that he has gotten really accustomed to the amenities' in the city and dreads camping of world. And normally Rodney would hate that prospect too, but John has the _bad_ feeling that this time, the scientist actually will prefer sleeping in that structure, so he can work whenever his ideas strike.

After a while his outline is clear and John pushes out of his chair to go looking for his team and XO to finalize the arrangements.

As expected, he gets mixed reactions.

McKay is disgustingly happy, Ronon looks even more like he wants to kill _something_ , Lorne looked happy to stay in the city up until Carter changes the plan and decides John needs a backup team. John saw the moment Lorne realized he was to go off world with them. He pats him on the back and offers

"Promise, I won't leave you alone for too long with McKay!" _Ha got you!_

"Thank you, sir. Probably best. Or I will have to shoot him!" John raises an eyebrow and looks at his XO a little confused. "With Ronon's gun!"

"You had me going there a little Major. Don't do it again, or I might have to send you back to the SGC!" John throws in with a grin before dismissing Lorne and prepare himself for two weeks in a tent with McKay.

 _Need to pack a lemon!_


	5. Confirmation

_Moonwalking, time travel  
New day, more truth unravel  
Mars landing, space gravel  
Mankind still a fight and squabble_

 _Time Travel – Damian Marley_

She usually loves Atlantis and the Pegasus galaxy. She hated being away on earth for university, but it had been necessary. Her parents had insisted on it. But right now? She hates this galaxy and its crazy workings. They are hiding out on some backwater planet with nothing on it but an ancient structure. From the little bit of ancient runes, she could make out it is some sort of time laboratory. Her idiotic team leader Markus, apparently no-relation to the colonel, Lorne had decided to search for whoever just arrived here on his own.

The leaves outside the cave start to move and Sergeant Meyers peaks outside. And almost immediately moves out of the way of the idiot. _Yes, I think I'll stick with idiot for now._

Mer looks at Markus expectantly. _He looks confused._

Her impatient nature gets the best of her and she barks "What got you looking like a confused puppy?" _And the annoyed look is back… phew all is good in the world._

She remembers that day, a little over two months ago when she first met Markus Lorne and Tom Meyers. The first thing she did was accuse him of nepotism, which he vehemently denied. To his credit he doesn't really look like the colonel. He has a lot lighter hair, even if it still is brown and the features are decidedly different.

"I think, I just saw evidence that we are in the past." He says it as if that explains _anything._ When her brain finally processes the sentence, she nearly falls off the cot she is sitting on.

"Say that again?"

She listens to his story and yes, it is weird that there are people in Atlantis uniforms standing guard at the gate and that they can't hear their com signals. But one thing really makes no sense at all:

"If my dad would've been to this rock before, don't you think they would've given us that information?" she finishes, leans her back against the cave wall and crosses her arms.

Her teammates stare at her for a little too long and she realizes she must've looked rather smug in that particular moment. She raises an eyebrow and fixes Lorne again with her eyes.

"Let's just get through this last week and then bring it up at debrief. Deal?" he says, and they all agree.

Much to her surprise they get through the last week without another incidence and she even manages to figure out what the structure is. A list of dates and the words for forward and backwards. She copies a couple of them and makes a note to discuss this date with her dad directly and not with her usual supervisor. _This is too important!_

Meredith is sorting through her notes and preparing a short presentation of her findings for the debrief. She is a little nervous about it, because the whole command staff apparently will be there, and they all know her since she was a baby. She hopes they will take her seriously.

 _Fingers crossed._

Normally Meredith wouldn't describe herself as a gossip but even she had to admit she was curious to witness the first meeting of the Lornes. Even if they are not related by blood.

When she is satisfied with her data she glances at the clock on her wall and realizes she even has time for a cup of coffee before she needs to be in the conference room.

She pushes the door open to the conference room and sees everyone is already there.

"Am I late?" Mer asks looking at her dad directly.

"No, you are actually early. Good for you. Have you seen your team leader?" She shakes her head and sets up her pad, connects it with the ancient projection system and then takes her seat. As soon as she sits down Markus walks in, just in time. The soldier in him probably keeps him from sitting down promptly. And she must remind herself that he is new to the city. Thankfully General Sheppard tells him to take a seat before she says something stupid or calls him an idiot in front of everyone. _That would be bad._

She leans back, to get a better view at what is about to happen. The general starts off the introduction round. She sees Markus visibly perk up at the mention of Colonel Lorne and she also sees something she would describe as a mixture of surprise and shock on the latter's face when the Lieutenant gets introduced. But no time to dwell on male _emotions._

Her father starts off the debrief, much to her surprise.

"Thank you for your reports, and it pains me to say it, but you are smarter then you look, Lieutenant. Yes, you were indeed in the past. I might have forgotten that that particular date was at the tail end of your stay on MX7-77P." Mer observes the command staff rolling their eyes a little at that. _Forgotten? Never ever!_

"Now, first things first: did you leave anything behind?" Colonel Lorne starts a _confusing_ line of questioning.

"No, sir. We brought all our gear back with us." Markus saves her again from saying something that would get her in trouble.

"Good." Sheppard takes back the lead. "Because we will be there in two days' time and that would be bad. Also, congratulations on us not noticing you back there. You did good."

"They didn't do good. I saw their tracks. Three people running through the woods. Very easy to follow, but you ordered me not to." Ronon interjects and Mer feels herself turn red. She hadn't even thought about not leaving tracks. She had just run like someone was chasing her with something containing citrus. _Stupid allergies!_

"We can rectify that with some training." The colonel proposes and then turns to Markus "Come see me in my office after this briefing and we can plan the training exercises, Lieutenant." Mer inwardly grins at the reaction from the younger Lorne. He sits up completely straight and answers "Yes, sir."

 _All that's missing is the salute._

* * *

 **Okay, so yes I am doing a time travel thing. Explanations on how this works will come. I got to admit I love the future characters... they just really amuse me. What do you think?**


	6. Interruption

**Hi guys, I am actually still writing this (I am on chapter 10 and hope to finish that today, so this time travel concept is completely explained.) Don't worry** _sheppardlover928_ **they know - well someone will remind them. I hope you enjoy and I will post these as quick as I can. Oh and yes I know this story is confusing but it will end. ;) (I hope)**

* * *

 _Sometimes you picture me_ _  
_ _I'm walking too far ahead_ _  
_ _You're calling to me, I can't hear_ _  
_ _What you've said_ _  
_ _Then you say, go slow_ _  
_ _I fall behind_

 _Time after Time – Cyndi Lauper_

Two weeks on this planet weren't nearly enough time to fully study and understand the structure and all the data the ancients have left behind.

 _But at least I got a good idea how the system works and probably can also figure out how to gate there directly, without landing in the wrong time._

Rodney is already planning the next steps in his research and sends an e-mail to Sam explaining that. To be precise it is already his sixth mail in as many days.  
 _That should tell her how serious I am._  
After that he turns his attention back to his computer, which is running a translation algorithm, but his concentration is disturbed by _knocking._

"If you value your amenities you better have a good reason to disturb me! The sign says, 'Do _not_ disturb!'" he shouts angry and the response is laughter. He sighs and gets up "Sheppard! That is not funny. I am doing important work here!" He throws open his door and sees Sheppard and Ronon still shaking with laughter. "I am busy. What do you want?" he tries again, to get _someone_ to tell him what is going on.

"We are here to pick you up."

"Pick me up for what? We don't have a meeting on the schedule!" at his answer he notices Ronon looking confused. "Ok, Sheppard lets go. Apparently, he isn't hungry!" after saying his piece the satedan walks away and John follows. He has to admit his stomach is grumbling a little bit and so he hurries to catch up with the two men.

Over their meal the discussion turns back to the _portal planet_ as Sheppard has dubbed the thing.

"Rodney, we cannot simply go there any time you deem necessary. I thought you had gathered enough information to do your research?"

"Why not? You confirmed that the three…"

"Four" came a gruff correction from Ronon.

"Ok, four _persons_ had cleared out and taken all their belongings. So, it is again an empty rock!"

"I said no, Rodney! What if they come back and attack us? Or worse ambush us!" That comment gets him thinking and after only seconds he has a solution: "Easy. They are gone now, so we can position a MALP there and monitor it remotely. Dial in every couple of days and check the telemetry."

He leans back. He is sure they will recognize this is a great and safe plan.

"Just one tiny problem… how are we going to monitor a MALP on a planet we cannot dial directly?" Rodney rolls his eyes. Of course, Sheppard had to ask a _stupid_ question. He claps his hands and elaborates his earlier statement: "That's the beauty of this solution. We bring the MALP there via the tried and tested detour but after that we start dialing the planet directly. If we don't receive anything, we most likely have a connection to the past, therefore no MALP is there. If the telemetry is normal, we can check the video and go through the gate. Outcome number three: the MALP sends back a date from the future… well I vote we go through and explore more of that Atlantis."

 _That got you to shut up, huh!_

In his mind he even does a little victory dance. He has thought of everything. He is Rodney McKay after all and he is the smartest man around.

Somehow Sheppard and Ronon change the subject back to the new recruits and the training schedule they have set up. That leaves him free to go back to his lab and do some research. But when he gets up the siren starts and Chucks voice booms through his ears:

"Unscheduled off world activation. Major Lorne's IDC. Dr. McKay we are not receiving any audio."

He can see it on Sheppard's face that he has just heard the exact same thing and just like on autopilot they get up and sprint to the control room. Sheppard even manages to give the command to open the iris and give the all clear anyway. And Ronon calls for additional security teams in the gate room.

When they arrive in the gate room, he counts four people, one of them looks seriously injured. The rest of them are on their knees with their hands in the air. Sheppard hurries down the stairs and orders the men to stand down, waves the medics over. That makes him take a closer look and then he recognizes one of the persons. It's the young lieutenant who relieved him of his tech back in the _future._

That perks Rodney's immediate interest and he too hurries down the stairs. He hears the tail end of the orders Sheppard gives out: "patient in isolation, minimum contact. Only what is absolutely necessary. The rest will have to give up any and all equipment which will be stored here in a crate next to the gate. And then they are to be taken down to the holding cells. Only I will talk to them. Is that clear?" All men obey him in an instant. Rodney is still amazed by how easily John Sheppard commands now compared to the early days when he was thrust into command and had to lead.

 _Now he really is a leader._

Subconsciously he must have been rubbing his hands in anticipation of looking over the tech the team brought with them, because he hears: "I promise: I won't let McKay touch your equipment!" _Spoilsport!_ But nonetheless he can clearly see the relief washing over the Lieutenant he already knows, a sergeant and a young woman when they file out of the gate room on their way to the holding cell with their marine escorts.


	7. Captivity

_So tell me what the day brings_ _  
_ _Has it lost it's thrill?_ _  
_ _Are you still searching_ _  
_ _Hoping for that_ _  
_ _Space to fill_ _  
_ _Everything you turn to_ _  
_ _Is like a mirror on the shelf_ _  
_ _And the only one you're blaming_ _  
_ _is yourself_

 _The hurting Time – Annie Lennox_

This is so screwed up. Someone up in command must surely hate him. Why else would they send them on _that rock_ for the grand finale of their 'Hide and Seek'-training? It is their last day and something just had to go wrong. They had split up in teams, him and Mer versus Donner and Meyers. He was on the tracking team and they were sure they had nearly found them when Meyers had radioed. Donner had fallen down a ravine and his leg looked … _shredded._ So, he had to dial Atlantis _before_ the set dial back time and used the emergency code provided. He should've known something was wrong when he heard an unknown voice for _Major Lorne_ to come through. But every attempt at answering had been fruitless.

They had arrived in a gate room which looked like home, but they had been greeted by rifles and a lot of strange faces. He had been relieved a little when the younger version of general Sheppard had taken control and ordered Donner to be treated in the infirmary.

Now he is sitting in a holding cell down in the bowls of Atlantis and is trying to find a way to tell his team mates to not let any names slip. He had seen Mer perk up at seeing her dad. She also had nearly answered when her last name had been said. But the most confusing thing had been when he had looked up to the fishbowl. _Was that really Aunt Sam?_

But he couldn't dwell on his thoughts any longer. The doors open and the young general, _he is a Lieutenant Colonel_ walks in. Markus knows Meyers will let him talk, he isn't so sure about Meredith, so he decides to beat Sheppard and opens the conversation. "Colonel, we need to get back to MX7-77P as quickly as possible, so we don't miss our window."

"Don't worry Lieutenant, we will get you back there. But we have some questions, one to be more precise. You used an IDC before coming through, where did you get that code?"

He takes a moment to think. _How can I answer this without giving anything away?_

"He means the emergency code, which had been given to us by the general." He turns around and shoots an angry look Mer's way. _Why can't she never stop herself._

The man outside the cell looks surprised for a short moment but nods his head. "Ah, okay. Just don't use it again. We are deactivating it right now."

Sheppard turns to walk away again but there is still something Markus needs to know: "Sir, sorry to keep you but what is the status of my man and when can we leave again?"

"Your man is still in surgery. When he is stable and awake again, we will escort you back to MX7-77P and you can get home. The kitchen staff is preparing some food for you in the meantime."

Thank god they hadn't taken away his wrist watch, so he could keep track of time. He knows he is growing restless and running in circles in this cell certainly won't help.

"What is taking so long?" and that would be Mer's patience running out; two hours, five minutes and 33 seconds after they had been put here.

Markus hangs his head, sighs then says: "Mer, we still have time and I am sure they will let us go soon."

As if on queue they hear raised voices outside and the recognition on Mer's face is telling him he heard right. Rodney McKay is yammering on about some MALP or other, that should've been placed on MX7-77P _ages_ ago. Markus is crossing his fingers that, if Dr. McKay the elder enters this room Mer will not say anything. Thankfully it doesn't come to that. It is only Sheppard accompanied by two marines.

"Your man is awake, and our doctors have agreed after some coaxing and writing extensive notes, to release him to your care. We will accompany you to MX7-77P. There will be no discussion."

"Sir, thank you but it would be smart to limit contact of us with your people."

"Don't worry Lieutenant. We have thought about that and Carter had the same thought as you. So only Ronon and I will accompany you."

 _That is the first time he used names and now I am sure aunt Sam is /was in Atlantis. Go figure._

Fifteen minutes later they walk through the gate and the before overheard MALP is placed at the planet. He tries to remember exactly where but has a feeling they will change the placement after he and his team have left.

After one last glance at his watch he gives Meyers the signal to dial and turns to thank Sheppard once again: "Sir, thank you for not keeping us locked up and giving us the chance to return home."

"Don't worry Lieutenant. Just get your team home and the one on the stretcher back to an infirmary. Maybe until next time."

"Yeah, maybe." He replies but really thinks that he never ever wants to see these people again. _Not in this time anyway._

He can already hear in his earpiece that the connection is established and _wow, is that the general himself telling us that medical is on standby in the gate room?_ He throws one last look at the younger version of the general and steps through the gate _back home._

Markus is glad when command tells him that debrief will not be before morning. He needs to get his thoughts in order for that briefing to be at least a little bit coherent. To get his thoughts in order he uses pen and paper, as he has always done.

 _And maybe I can write to Aunt Sam and ask about that time?_


	8. Security Measures

_Catching little pieces of times  
Making them yours, making them mine.  
Great vacations and celebrations  
Can fade away in a year.  
But when we're making memories,  
Happy days are always here._

 _Makin Memories – Sherman Brothers_

 _He looked like he recognized me but was surprised to see me._

To say she wasn't curious about that would be blatantly lying. She had called for a meeting with all affected parties in 30 minutes to recap what had happened and how to prevent such a thing in the future without endangering their own people. She makes her way to the conference room a little early to collect her thoughts there.

 _This is going to be interesting._

Ronon and John showed up looking like they had been at the gym, but they were early. Major Lorne shows up right on time and Rodney, as always, a little late. Sam had asked Teyla not to attend, as she wants to find out if anyone of the three men having encountered Lieutenant Lorne had also noticed the name tag on their first encounter. The young man had used the majors IDC after all, which made her extremely curious about the possible connection there.

When Rodney shows up, he looks around: "Ok, I know I am late. But we can start now." Sam inwardly groans when the man flops into a seat. "Actually, we are still waiting for Jennifer. I need her to be in this meeting too." And as if on queue the blonde doctor walks in, carrying a chart with her. "Sorry, but there were too many cuts to sew, as someone had beaten up a couple marines in a training exercise."

 _I didn't know she could send a glare like that. Wouldn't want to be Ronon or John right now._

"Don't worry. Rodney was late too. But now we can begin." Sam notices that Rodney wants to interrupt but she just keeps talking "John, please recap again. Start with your first meeting with the lieutenant."

Sam listens to John's account of events and just dives right in: "Ok, so he was your point of contact in the other Atlantis. Did he mention his name or gave any indication as to how he knew you?"

"Now that you mention it, I don't think he ever gave us an explanation. Although he seemed to know a great deal about us. Was it just me or did it look like he _knew_ we were coming?" John offers and looks at his team.

"Yes, he even knew about my emergency tablet. One of them at least." Rodney continues "And he never gave us the explanation he promised when he put us in that stupid room."

Sam rolls her eyes, well inwardly while John is probably _this_ close to slapping Rodney at the back of the head.

"Moving on to this contact." She turns slightly to face Lorne "Major, do you have any idea at all how they could've gotten your IDC, or even a device to send it through?" "Honestly, no idea Ma'am. I've never given out my IDC and to my knowledge there is not device missing."

 _He looks rather uncomfortable._

Sam can't say anything because as she opens her mouth Rodney already launches into a rant.

"The explanation is easy. They had Lorne's IDC and know what they know because they are from the future. As I've been saying from the beginning and the data on my tablet proves that!"

As a reply most, people around the table groan audibly. So, Sam decides to move on again and tackles the next problem: "Doctor, how was the patient and what kind of chances are you giving him?"

"The leg is broken in two places and a lot of the skin around the wounds looked badly burned. But with the treatments we have developed here to regenerate human skin, a good cast and a lot of care he should pull through. I gave them a copy of my notes to give to their doctor. If they are really from the future, I'll put the case also in the database. Along with all the scans we took."

"Thank you for your time. The rest of this meeting we will try to find a way to prevent this sort of _problem_ from happening again, so you can leave if you'd like." She thanks the doctor who rather quickly exits the room.

 _Wish I could leave too, because it looks this is going to be a long one._

After what feels like days Rodney finally stops ranting.

 _Finally ran out of breath._

They agree, that the MALP is only the first step but they can't find a solution to the second problem. If they receive a valid IDC they have to let the teams through. To be on the safe side Sheppard proposes to always keep two security teams on stand-by. Sam can see that major Lorne is not exactly looking forward to the upcoming paperwork. The schedules are going to be tricky to change and a lot of teams are probably going to want to kill _someone_ for having to pull more security shifts. Most of her people love going off world and explore the galaxy.

 _Go figure._

Sam takes pity on her officers and says: "I'll rework the schedule and then we'll see what is going to happen. And one last thing: we change the codes every two weeks now. Rodney, you have to write the new program and roll it out. You have 10 days!"

After that Sam closes the meeting and everyone goes to do their task. She can hear Rodney whining about having to do the most work.

* * *

 **Yeah, I didn't manage to post what I had ready... got busy. And right now am catching my breath in between watching the handball worldcup in Germany and Denmark. So I am giving you all I have right now and hope you like it.**

 **I know this story is confusing** _sheppardlover_ **but that is the beauty of time travel :). Oh and** _Guest_ **thanks for joining in, but I have bad news *spoiler alert* since I gave Rodney a kid and John a wife... I guess there is zero chance for romance there. They will be friends though.**


	9. Story Time

_Afraid of the outside_ _  
_ _But, several encounters_ _  
_ _Today have been won_ _  
_ _Will tomorrow's headline ring_ _  
_ _Like a shot in the dark_ _  
_ _These are curious times. When the heart's loud beating, covers the sounds of carousels of our past times_

 _The Curious Times – Attention System_

Her patience never had been long, and after that briefing, she was even more upset. Some people were already staring in her direction and whispering. Admittedly it is weird for her to be waiting outside the conference room. But the whole thing just was horrible.

 _They knew!_ That fact alone made her angry enough to wish for their slow death, and yes that includes her dad.

To occupy her mind, she is furiously typing away on her tablet trying to learn as much as she can about the planet of doom. But she seems to be running into walls at every turn, which is not really helping with her current mood.

 _What the heck is taking so long?_

After the general had closed the meeting, colonel Lorne had asked, make that _ordered,_ Markus to stay behind. What for was a mystery to her. And right now, she really wants to talk to him about all this and compare notes. Despite their decidedly rocky start as teammates she respected him, and in her eyes, Markus Lorne had done nothing wrong on that exercise.

 _Yes, it had been an exercise!_

Just when she finally has enough and pushes off the wall to barge in and give the colonel a piece of her mind the doors open, and Markus walks out, shoulders slightly hunched and he looks _dejected. As if he has given up._ She acts on an impulse, grabs his hand and drags him to the next small common room. She watches Markus walk out onto the balcony and prop up his feet on the railing.

Mer takes that as her cue to raid the small fridge in the corner. Usually one of the Germans keeps his beer in there and doesn't label the bottles. _Gottcha!_

She grabs two bottles, uses the metal tabletops to open them.

 _Why can't Germans use screw off caps?_

Mer walks out on the balcony, sits down and offers Markus a bottle. She knows they are all off-duty for the rest of the day, but she didn't expect him to immediately take a long swig.

"So, I take it the private meeting didn't go too well?"

"You could say that. We just ran through every possible scenario on how this mess could've been prevented."

"There only is one way this whole thing could've been prevented. They knew this would happen and they sent us there anyway!"

"Not according to the colonel." Markus replies sounding rather hurt. _Okay I need a different plan._

"Markus stop beating yourself up. It wasn't your fault you weren't even close to Donner when he fell."

She can see that he wants to say something, but she just moves on. "And you made the best possible decision in dialing Atlantis. He is safe now and we are home!"

"And grounded for the time being."

 _Huh?_ "Since when?"

"Since we are a man down!" comes his matter of fact response. Still Meredith feels the need to make him feel better.

"True. And now let's do something fun. Wanna watch silly old school sci-fi with me and make fun of it?" _Got your attention now, did I?_

"Define old school sci-fi…"

"It's a surprise. Come on." She gets up and looks at Markus expectantly. When he doesn't move a muscle, she simple grabs his hand _again_ and drags him along to her quarters.

The twosome had a great laugh watching _Wormhole X-treme_ and trading stories how they found out about the show. Apparently, Markus loves the show and watched it on end just to annoy his mom. Mer for her part got to watch the show to 'inform herself about earths knowledge on interplanetary travel'. And she just fell in love with the wacky concept.

Two weeks went by and Mer still couldn't make heads or tails in cracking the security layers in front of the mission reports involving MX7-77P. She is growing rather annoyed at herself and she feels stupid. She should be able to crack that code.

She is a McKay after all.

But there is one thing making her days better, well her evenings at least. During Donners recovery Markus and Tom are being drilled by non-other but colonel Lorne. That is not great for the younger Lorne's mood. But somehow after their first Wormhole X-treme session they started to watch the show together after bad days and make fun of it.

Tonight, Mer actually catches herself checking over her appearance in the mirror. _It's just my idiot team leader and I still have work to do._

She shakes loose any lingering thoughts about the blue-eyed lieutenant and grabs her tablet again. After a couple of tries she manages to break through one layer of encryption and starts on the next section when her bell sounds. Groaning she gets up and swipes the door open. "Come in and sit down. I cracked the first encryption."

When she hears nothing from behind her, she turns again and looks into her dad's angry face. "Did you learn nothing in school or any of the silly shows you love to watch?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about, dad."

"Playing dumb wont work. I know you've been trying to hack into the sealed mission reports! They are sealed for a reason. And I sure hope you know why!"

"Come on, dad. The Butterfly Effect is a movie and a non-proven theory."

"You want to bet on that?" _Raised eye-brows? Oh…_

"Don't tell me, that you can proof that."

"I sure can. And I will. Sit." _Okay better comply now… he looks serious._

Mer looks at her dad and he starts on a tale of how SG-1 traveled through time and changed the timeline _twice_ and had the dumb luck that it worked. There is only one question left for her to ask then: "How did you decide that it had to be _us?_ "

"We didn't decide, we knew when we met Lieutenant Lorne. He greeted us when we first arrived here."


	10. Simple Rules

_Said that we could have it all_ _  
_ _kept pushing cause you wanted me to fall_ _  
_ _now it's time that you let go_ _  
_ _diving in to the black hole._

 _Black Hole - Christina Novelli & Craig Connelly_

Four weeks nothing went seriously wrong and John even stops worrying about going to the crazy planet. Since they placed the MALP they have been checking the footage continuously and there never was any activity or problem with the reception, so Sam approved a mission to go back and explore more of the ancient structure. A lab of some sort as Rodney had figured out from the translations by now.

Just to be safe John decides to take Lorne and his team with him. _You never know in Pegasus._

So, they all gather in the gate room and McKay checks the MALP footage.

"Everything is clear. We can go through."

John looks up to Carter and receives a nod. "Okay, people. Move out!"

John's mood plummets to murderous when he came out the gate on the other side.

"Rodney!" he turns to glare at the scientist who moves as fast as he can to the MALP.

"I don't understand. We are where we wanted to go. The MALP is here…." _Great. Trailing off. Never a good sign._

"McKay! You better make sense fast."

"The date is 26 years in the future. I can't explain how. When we checked before everything was alright."

"And how are we supposed to get back now?"

"Dial Atlantis and ask?" Lorne tries but gets a glare from McKay. _Asking for help was never Rodney's strength._

"Rodney, do you think you can figure it out when you are in the lab?" John asks and points in the general direction of the ancient structure.

"Yes. That is the best idea I heard in weeks!" Rodney replies and John can barely manage to not roll his eyes. He orders Lorne and his men to set up camp near the lab and get everything ready for a longer stay on the planet. John can see it in all their faces. None of them is happy to be stuck in the future.

 _Even Marty McFly had a way back home._

John makes his way to the ancient outpost with Rodney and Ronon. The former runner is always on guard, especially here. Since they found the tracks back in their time this planet and the people in hiding are his white whale.

"Buddy keep it down. Rodney checked. No one is here." Nonetheless John takes turns with Ronon and team Lorne to keep watch. He knows that they probably will be stuck here for a couple of days.

 _If not weeks._

Day seven starts different. John wakes up to his radio and major Lorne's voice "McKay found something. You better come and see this for yourself!" John gets up and ready in the blink of an eye and runs to the structure. When he enters the main chamber, he sees something, very much like the display when he accidentally activated the chair in Antarctica.

"Someone gonna explain this?" he looks at Rodney who looks like the cat that ate the canary.

"Yes, this is our way home. It looks like this planet is in the middle of two black holes and only keeps together because of this structure and some sort of recharging ZPM system. By the way: We need to do more research on the ZPMs here!"

"Sorry, did I just hear black holes? How is that supposed to help us get back home?"

"Ah, here comes the best thing: The black holes and the planet somehow revolve around each other in cycles." McKay points to the moving parts of the hologram. "And if my calculations are correct, we can get home in about two hours."

"Thank god. We are leaving in two hours! Lorne pack up."

"No, we need to stay here. We need to find out more. And maybe we can meet the future team again and learn more." John rolls his eyes. Rodney is excited, and he can understand that to a degree but there is one thing he knows. "We need to get back and inform Carter. After that, we can maybe go back here, and you can do more research if she approves."

Three hours later they are sitting in the conference room and Samantha Carter has listened to everything they said. She even endured Rodney's lengthy explanation of time travel through wormholes and black holes. Now she looks like she is thinking carefully about what to say next. And John has to admit, he is curious about that too, because if they don't get permission to do more research on the crazy planet Rodney will be unbearable.

"Time Travel is really dangerous, and I have half a mind to forbid you to do more research and block the gate address in the dialing computer." Sam starts and holds up a hand to silence Rodney when he starts spluttering. "But if the ancients found a way other than solar flares, we need to know more about it. You can go back there and do more research, but I have three simple rules: First of all, every mission report gets command code encryption. That means to say, head of the expedition, head of military, head of science department and CMO and it needs at minimum three of these to access the files. Second, no contact with future persons if it can be avoided and three no changing the timeline in any case; that includes giving or asking for names! And just to be safe, from now on you only go to that planet in disguises!"

Sam looks around the table and everyone nods in agreement, even Rodney seems to agree. The colonel really knows what she is talking about, having traveled to the sixties and some far away future before and if the stories are to believed ancient Egypt in a different timeline. Sometimes he really wishes he never learned about the stargate and all that crazy stuff and was still flying choppers from and to McMurdo.


	11. Forgotten Heroics

_I usually have an answer to the question_ _  
_ _But this time I'm gon' be quiet (this time)_ _  
_ _Ain't nothing like the feeling of uncertainty, the eeriness of silence_ _  
_ _This time, it was so unexpected_

 _Legends – Juice Wrld_

After four weeks of spending nearly every evening together with Mer watching old movies or tv shows and generally having a blast he was really looking forward to their _dates._ He shakes his head. _No dates. Just a nice evening with a friend._

He knows he is already late, well later than usual but he has popcorn and that needed to be done before. The microwaves dings and signals the corn is ready. When he grabs the bowl, someone clears their throat behind him. "Evening Lieutenant." _Great. The boss._ "Evening, Sir. Anything I can help you with? If not, I am meeting with a friend." _Yeah, just great. Be that guy._ He stands relaxed but still is nervous. The colonel still can make his life hell or send him back to earth. After the mishap with Donner Markus had spent a huge amount of his time in training with the marine units. And he considers that to be punishment. He hates being constantly yelled at.

 _The last time that happened I had just gotten into the academy._

Markus mentally berates himself. His attention should be on his superior right now. _Raised eyebrow that can't be good._

"I just wanted to let you know that you've been slacking the last couple of days and I wanted to make sure you get enough rest. I'd recommend skipping the movie date." The colonel says his piece and turns to leave again. Markus swallows his first reply. Instead he goes with "Yes, sir. I'll just drop this bowl of with Dr. McKay then if you don't mind." _Great another raised eyebrow, paired with a disbelieving look._ "Just remember your duty as team leader and get your rest. Dismissed Lieutenant." That only leaves Markus with giving a salute and leaving. In his mind he knows what the colonel must be thinking, and he can only hope he won't voice his thoughts around the elder Dr. McKay. _Maybe it also is a good idea to not spend so much time alone with Mer._ Markus realizes he has a responsibility for his team, and he has to treat them all with the same amount of respect. He makes the resolution to create more distance between himself and the scientist. Looking at the bowl in his hands he also knows the perfect way to do that – standing her up tonight. But his mom raised him differently. He makes his way to her door and knocks. "What's wrong?" is the first thing he hears. He tries it with the soft tour. He can't bring himself to make the break this instant. "I am just tired. Dead on my feet after todays hand to hand combat sessions. I'll go to bed but wanted to bring you the popcorn quickly." "Oh…. Okay. Then go get some rest. But I get to choose the next movie!" He just nods and walks away.

He falls into bed and nearly instantly falls asleep.

The next morning, he realizes he fell asleep in his clothes. _Guess I really needed that sleep._ He isn't scheduled to report anywhere before noon, so Markus takes his time getting ready and then heads to the mess hall for some breakfast. He finds an empty table outside and just when he sits down his ear piece activates: "Lieutenant report to the armory. You are going to support Torren and his team today." He acknowledges the order, grabs his apple and sprints out. He has a lot of respect for the man he is supposed to support today. Just two years his senior but already a seasoned warrior and great leader. Sometimes Markus catches himself wanting to be Torren Emmagan. But these moments are rare. The first time it happened he had an urge to actually call his mother and ask about his birth father, but he decided against it. That was a conversation to be had eye to eye and not through email or phone or video chat. _Maybe, if they grant me leave for her birthday?_

He has already put in for leave but hasn't heard back yet.

He spots Torren and his team already on their way out and gears up quickly.

After stepping through the gate Markus' mind draws a blank. The next thing he knows is waking up in the infirmary and his leg is in a cast with metal sticking out at all sides. When he tries to sit up his whole-body hurts and he cries out in pain. Immediately Dr. Halsey is by his side adjusting the IV with the pain meds.

"What happened?" he croaks out. One of the nurses pushes a cup of ice chips in his hand and instructs him to put one in his mouth and let it melt, to rehydrate his throat. He also hears Dr. Halsey radioing Colonel Lorne and General Sheppard, informing them that he is awake.

 _Great a talking to from the two highest ranking officers at once. It must be bad._

He sinks back into his covers and closes his eyes. The light in the infirmary always reminds him of his mom and especially in moments like this he misses her. Just when he feels ready to drift back into painkiller induced sleep, he hears the door open and military boots enter. Markus opens his eyes and tries to sit up.

"Easy Lieutenant. Don't move on our account." The general stops him and gratefully Markus sinks back against the pillows. "Dr. Halsey has informed us that you will be confined to this bed and the infirmary for at least 4 weeks, if not more. When you get cleared for moving, you can take your leave and go for rehab on earth."

"Understood, Sir. Can I ask something? How long was I out?" He observes the officers exchanging a short look. "A week. Today is Torrens birthday. Which we can only celebrate with him because of your actions. So, thank you for bringing the team back in one piece. You took the worst of the attack and you must've even continued on when your leg had already been broken. Torren will come by in a short while, I am sure."

 _What? I was (am) a hero?_

Doctor Halsey comes in to check his monitors and tells Sheppard to keep it short. After a last round of get better soon, Sheppard leaves and the colonel follows him out without even having uttered a word.

Markus tries to figure out if he has a chance to visit his mom without any visible serious injuries. "Torrens birthday is 11th of July plus 4 weeks recovery minimum makes August. moms birthday is end of September." He mumbles and finally drifts off to slumber.

* * *

 **Sorry guys, this took so long. But I wanted to finish the next chapter before posting this. The plan is not working. Rodney is being Rodney and rather difficult. (I guess I would be too if I were to meet Mer in a mood... yes they will meet in the next chapter and actually interact.)**


	12. Learning Curve

**Rodney being Rodney, this chapter got a little out of hand and took a different turn than I anticipated.**

 **I guess I should clarify something about the timeline for you: Each chapter moves forward over the baseline which is Season 4/5 with the exception that I will ignore Woolsey coming and replacing Sam. The distance between both times is always 26 years and time moves forward for each time every day. (Ask if anything is still unclear). We are coming to a point where a lot of the "real" action will take place in the future and Mer will bring the stone into free fall in the next chapter (or at least start to loosen the pile so the stone can start rolling of the cliff).**

 **Without further rambling... Enjoy!**

* * *

 _And you are so beautiful_ _  
_ _That I would drink my fill_ _  
_ _More pure and more suitable_ _  
_ _Than any pint of poison_ _  
_ _I could guzzle or spill_

 _Time is Money – Placebo_

I knew this mission was doomed, the moment Sheppard opted not to go and sent Lorne and his team with me and Zelenka. Every time Lorne, Cadman and Zelenka are involved in a mission with me something goes wrong. Okay maybe not every time but I guess our combined track record isn't great. And nothing could've prepared us for this idiocy.

We step through the gate and the first thing we hear are voices… _loud_ voices. _Shouting._ The ever-dutiful soldiers' race to investigate and what they discover is … there are no better words than idiotic and disgraceful.

The young female doctor from the weirdo team, that we've met before is screaming her head of about something. Apparently, their command is made up from idiots. And I heard something about mobbing and torture. Lorne looks about ready to send them both to separate corners and Cadman has that dangerous smirk on her face, that tells me something is going to happen soon. And I might not like it.

The screaming twosome hasn't noticed us yet but the other two have. I seem to remember them. What happened to the team leader these three normally bother?

"Anyone care to explain why you threw every piece of protocol out the window and fight here like little kids?" _Mhh Lorne seems to have heard enough arguing._ The new man snaps around and hangs his head in shame. "Sorry, sir. We didn't mean to, but I got orderd to inform the team of some changes…" "Changes? Telling me that …" the girl interrupts but seems to notice something and stops her rant instantly. Her lips turn to a small line and if looks could kill I am sure, myself and the major would've dropped dead in an instant.

Cadman rolls her eyes but let's Lorne still take the lead. _If I were a betting man, I'd say it takes every ounce of her self-control._

"Lieutenant, care to elaborate? We met this team before. What happened to the former team leader?"

"Sir, he got seriously injured on a training exercise and is now scheduled to return to his home for physical therapy. I just informed the team that I'll be taking over for him as team leader, permanently."

"As if that explains anything!" Cadman huffs beside me. And I got to admit, that is no reason to scream at each other at the top of your lungs like crazy people.

After a little check of our neglected MALP and taking into account that our trip was rather nice, I can confirm we are at least in our own time. So, Lorne decides we set up camp and take the four other Atlantis people with us. Well, until I can figure out how to send them home anyway. The new female seems to be actually interested in my work and if she isn't completely stupid, she can help with the research. Hopefully she is more helpful than Radek.

After two- or three-days Rodney realizes that the unknown female has a broad knowledge of astrophysics and that she really hates the major. Cadman the ever-curious busy body has also taken an interest in the newbies and tries to needle them into revealing something, _anything,_ about the future. But it seems they have been instructed rather well. They haven't let slip anything more besides two of them, the girl and the new leader have grown up in Atlantis. The rest is still a mystery. The new one starts checking his watch obsessively and calls his team together. _What is that about?_

My little helper walks over to me and Cadman, a _happy_ look on her face. "It looks like we missed our first travel window. So, we will be stuck here for two more weeks." "How do you know that?" is the question I wanted to ask but Cadman is quicker and stuns the not stupid female. _They really need to give us their names. This is getting ridiculous._ "My dad told us. He has figured the timings and probably because it has already happened for him." After that part she claps her hands over her mouth and looks almost ready to die. She accidentally gave us a clue on who she is. I am sure Cadman realized that too. "So, your father is a scientist in Atlantis? That is the reason you grew up there?" The newbie, who seems to worship Lorne walks over with his hero and puts an end to the questioning "We told you too much about ourselves already. We were instructed to not disturb this time line. Please stop asking about the future." Lorne actually seems to agree and turns to Cadman "Lieutenant, you can do something useful. This one here asked why we would send an air force officer with marines on a training exercise. You want to explain that one?" Oh no, that gleam in her eyes is never a good sign. Well at least this time I don't have to suffer because of her crazy training routine. "With pleasure, sir. Command sends promising officers with a marine unit to further train them and test them. If an air force officer can gain the respect of a marine unit, he is the right fit for a command in a more physical unit. Not only babysitting." _That is one proud marine._ With her little explanation she manages to get two people to stand in front of her with their mouths hanging open and the doc actually blushes and mumbles a small "sorry I yelled at you T." _So his name starts with a t or his nickname is T?_


End file.
